Health

Do these five things to live longer

Article By Dave Morman - Wednesday 1st May 2019

Article By Dave Morman

When it comes to staying healthy, most people have the same motivation:
living as long and fulfilling a life as possible. And while science has yet
to find a true fountain of youth, researchers have identified certain
behaviours that can increase longevity.

One study, published in the American journal Circulation last year, even
argued that adhering to just five healthy habits could extend your lifespan
by roughly a decade. Here’s what they are, and what research to date says
about living your longest life.

1. Eating a healthy diet

Diet is strongly linked to longevity. Research has long suggested that
following a Mediterranean diet — which includes plenty of fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, nuts and healthy fats, and not much sugar, red
meat or processed food — brings a host of health benefits, including a
longer life.

Other studies have also found longevity benefits associated with some of
the specific foods and nutrients included in a Mediterranean diet, such as
whole grains, fibre, fish, plant-based proteins and healthy fats. On the
other hand, foods including processed snacks and meats, fried foods and
sugar-sweetened beverages have been linked to higher risks of chronic
disease and death.

Even if your diet isn’t perfect, research suggests that making smart
changes can add up to sizable benefits. One paper published in 2017
concluded that people who ate 20% more healthy foods than they had at the
beginning of the study, over the course of 12 years, decreased their risk
of early death by up to 17%.

2. Exercising regularly

Working out regularly is a benefit for both your physical and mental health,
boosting everything from cardiovascular fitness to mood and energy — so
it’s no surprise that it can also extend your life. Guidelines recommend
aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous
aerobic activity each week, plus twice-weekly muscle-strengthening
sessions, to reap health and longevity benefits.

But you don’t have to go overboard. Even short bouts of light physical
activity, such as walking and cleaning, increased the lifespans of older
men and women in studies from 2018 and 2017, respectively. And a study
published in January found that simply moving instead of sitting for 30
minutes each day could reduce early death risk by 17%.

If you do opt for a more vigorous workout, some research suggests that team
sports like tennis and soccer are best for longevity, because they
encourage social interaction as well as exercise.

And if you don’t exercise now, you can still start. A recent study found
longevity benefits associated with both life-long and later-in-life
exercise.

3. Maintaining a healthy body weight

Diet and exercise habits help people maintain a healthy body weight, which
the Circulation study defined as a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9.
Obesity is associated with chronic conditions including Type 2 diabetes,
cardiovascular disease and cancer, all of which can shorten your life. A
2018 study found that widespread obesity shaved a year off the U.S. life
expectancy and is responsible for up to 186,000 deaths per year.

4. Drinking only in moderation

For years, moderate drinking was touted as a harmless — and maybe even
healthy — habit. But recently, scientific opinion has begun to shift toward
a more cautious stance on alcohol.

Last year, a large meta-analysis of prior alcohol studies concluded that
there is no safe amount of drinking, because the net risks to a population
— addiction, cancer, traffic accidents and so on — outweigh any potential
benefits, such as improved cardiovascular and cognitive health. And while
each person’s risk-benefit analysis depends on his or her family and
medical history, research is increasingly supporting the idea that people
should limit their alcohol consumption to avoid health problems and
increase longevity.

Moderate drinking, according to guidelines, means that women should have no
more than a drink per day, and men should have no more than two per day.

5. Not smoking

In addition to causing lung cancer, cigarette-smoking is associated with
serious health problems including heart attack, stroke and mouth and throat
cancers, making it a significant threat to longevity. The best way to
reduce your risk, of course, is never to smoke at all — but if you do,
experts advise quitting as soon as possible to minimize threats to your
health.